Actress and entrepreneur Parul Gulati, the creative force behind D2C brand Nish Hair, credited her relentless “chronically online” content strategy for her business success while admitting the personal isolation it causes.
Speaking to content creator Deepak Pareek on The Chill Hour Podcast, the Girls Hostel star detailed how she leveraged her personal brand and the “Malkin” persona to build a company valued at over ₹50 crore, often sacrificing real-world friendships for digital engagement.
Gulati, who famously secured investment from Shark Tank India judge Amit Jain, revealed that her growth wasn’t just about product market fit, but an aggressive, hands-on approach to social media visibility.
Gulati described her content workflow as a non-stop grind, admitting to Pareek that she is a “chipku” (stuck) to her phone. She explained that she utilises every spare moment, specifically travel time in her car, to reply to DMs, close business loops, and engage with her community.
She candidly discussed her past strategy of commenting on “random reels” to maintain visibility, a tactic that became an inside joke among her followers who would spot “Gulati06” in comment sections across the platform.
For Gulati, this isn’t just a marketing tactic but a source of genuine dopamine; she confessed that if she sleeps without clearing her WhatsApp or engaging with her audience, she feels “incomplete.”
However, this hyper-focus on building a digital empire has come at a steep personal cost. Gulati labelled herself a “friendless founder” in a viral LinkedIn update, a sentiment she doubled down on during the interview.
She attributed this isolation to her inability to draw boundaries between her work and personal life, noting that she often prioritises her “Malkin” persona and business operations over nurturing deep personal connections.
Despite the personal tolls, Gulati’s content-first approach has solidified Nish Hair as a market leader in the hair extension niche. The brand, which she pitched on Shark Tank India Season 2, has grown significantly, with Gulati aiming for a ₹1,000 crore valuation in the future.
She continues to balance this entrepreneurial ambition with her acting career, recently starring in Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon 2, proving that her ability to perform, whether on a cinema screen or a vertical smartphone screen, remains her biggest asset.
On the business front, Gulati reiterated her ambitious vision for Nish Hair, stating her goal is to build a ₹1,000 crore brand. She reflected on her Shark Tank India Season 2 experience, crediting investor Amit Jain (Co-founder, CarDekho) with igniting a “fire” in her to scale beyond her initial expectations.
Nish Hair, founded by Gulati in 2017, has grown from a living room startup into a significant player in India’s hair extension market. Gulati gained massive popularity after her Shark Tank India pitch, where she secured ₹1 crore for 2% equity from Amit Jain, valuing her company at ₹50 crore at the time.
